The Police Rubber Bullet That Killed Dawid Dziedzic

Dawid Dziedzic, a 27-year-old Concordia Knurów supporter, was struck by a police-fired rubber bullet during his club’s match against Ruch Radzionków on May 2, 2015. He later died in hospital. The death at the lower-league football match in southern Poland prompted an investigation and angry clashes beyond the stadium.

Concordia supporters had entered the pitch, forcing the match to stop, according to The Independent. Police used rubber bullets to quell the violence. Reports said Dziedzic was hit in the neck, but the available accounts do not establish that he was among those who had gone onto the field.

Ultras-Tifo reported that supporters tried to give the injured man first aid in front of the away section before an ambulance arrived. He was taken to Knurów hospital, where doctors could not save him. His death was confirmed on Saturday night.

Police defended the use of force as justified. Fans argued that a pitch invasion should never be punished by death. Local prosecutors began investigating the incident, and an autopsy was announced.

As news spread, rioters gathered around the hospital and clashed with police. According to police spokesman Andrzej Gaska, in an Associated Press account carried by NBC Sports, they threw rocks and firebombs, injuring 14 officers. The officers suffered burns and bruises; none of the injuries was life-threatening.

The hospital’s deputy director, Tomasz Pitsch, described what the fighting had left behind. “We are shaken by the fighting we witnessed,” he said. “You can see the marks on the hospital walls.” Further clashes between fans and police continued in Knurów over several days.

On May 7, thousands attended Dziedzic’s funeral. There was a heavy police presence. Supporters lit flares, but the ceremony passed peacefully.